On October 9, Denver will have the chance to send a top US elections official back to D.C. with a mandate: We are sick and tired of Washington insiders making political decisions without listening to us, the people they are supposed to represent.

FEC Vice Chair Ann Ravel is coming to the University of Colorado Denver for a public forum on the future of elections and democracy. Every attendee will have the chance to make a public comment directly to Vice Chair Ravel.

It’s incredibly rare for a such a high-ranking federal official to make herself available to the public. This is a huge opportunity to put direct pressure on the FEC to fix our broken political system.

The Federal Election Commission, or FEC, is the agency in charge of enforcing federal rules on money in politics. Commissioner Ravel has said she wants to crack down on corruption — and she should have the power to do it — but the commission is completely gridlocked. They’ve failed to investigate everything from major alleged violations by conservative “dark money” groups to a Democratic super PAC suspected of illegal activity.

Getting our elections back on track begins with a massive public outcry. All forums are free and open to the public, and your presence will make a powerful statement even if you choose not to speak.

"The Future of Elections and Democracy" is a public event hosted by the University of Colorado Denver. The event will feature a short opening statement from Vice Chair Ravel and brief remarks from a panel of local experts, followed by a public comment period.